Why the mentally ill say “Screw You”

Posted on April 12, 2010 in Psychotropics Stigma Terrorism

I don’t support forced psychiatric compliance without cause ((You must be a danger to yourself or others.)) any more than I support forced root canals. I am on psychopharmaceuticals and I have had several root canals. I tried alternative methods for mental health. I lacked decent health insurance for many years. In both cases, treatment occurred because I got decent health insurance, walked myself into a doctor’s office and sought relief. So I am sympathetic with those who refuse treatment after having it ramrodded into them. In the long run, if they choose to go for it, I suspect they will be more faithful to their once-or-twice-a-days than if they had not volunteered.

It’s surprising to me — after the terrorist plots against Nancy Pelosi and others uncovered last week — that there was not an immediate call to round up all those who weren’t taking their medications as happened after Virginia Tech and similar events. At least one of the accused — Gregory Lee Giusti — is alleged to have what news commentators characterized as a “troubled past”. Apparently Giusti has threatened others such as [[BART]] cops who insisted that he pay rapid transit fares. His mother feels that his paranoia about the health care bill grew fat on the junk fare served by Fox News ((Which is probably true.)) . But liberals have used Giusti to characterize the [[tea party movement]] and conservatives have said nothing at all.

Here’s the disturbing thing I see going on here: once more the system failed us, probably because there’s not enough money to look after those who do pose a risk to self and others. Liberals seize on people like Giusti to make points about the mental stability of the opposition. Conservatives — seeing that their own propaganda fed into this — say nothing this time. I don’t doubt that if the threats had been made against a conservative politician we’d be hearing their tired old song and dance about how the mentally ill need to be locked up to a wo/man. (Don’t expect them to provide any money for it, however.) What they want in the way of meds are chemical strait-jackets. This time, however, they see the implications of their irresponsible hate-mongering and so are keeping their mouths shut on this one except to whimper that Giusti was clearly insane.

And the result is the usual nothing-gets-done-for-the-mentally-ill. Budget cutbacks will almost certainly mean that we get screwed when it comes to keeping open clinics. Instead of getting treatment in mental health facilities, they will wait for some crime to be committed and then lock us up in prison; and when we’ve served our time, they will find a reason to put us back in for a longer time.

Yet one continues to pray that something else will be done. Many of the mentally ill would take their meds if they had stable shelter and stable access to clinics. The United States does very poorly by its impoverished. No one group has a harder time rising from poverty than those of us who are afflicted by genetic brain dysfunctions. We need the support of family, friends, and — yes — our communities to make it.

Once I went around with eighteen teeth that needed root canals in my mouth. I thought I could bear the pain like a cross because I didn’t have decent dental insurance. The same held true with the paranoia and racing thoughts that I endured because of my bipolar disorder. Somehow, family members, friends, and my fellow citizens thought it would be easy to snap out of it, to get the treatment that I needed to overcome my disability. I had to grit and bear it until the means befell me. Our country expects miracles and yet provides us with no Jesus. No wonder so many of our number say “Screw you”.